202 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



very strong breeze, and showers ; wind W.N.W. to S.W." Again 

 at same station (Mull of Galloway) flocks continued passing all 

 day ; wind S.E., fresh, fog, and rain, flying in same direction. 

 On 8th and 9th, wind S., gale; 10th, wind W., strong. In a 

 later note Mr. M'Gill believes " that the Solan Geese strike the 

 land first at Cape Wrath," and that the Geese which pass it are 

 from Suliskerry. 



On the west coast of Scotland, also, man}^ observers make 

 particular mention of the scarcity of autumnal migrants in 1879. 

 At several principal and important stations this scarcity is of 

 course most remarked upon, such as Butt of Lewis, ^lonach 

 Island, Island Glass, Skerrj^vore, and Dhuheartach. During long 

 experience at these and other stations, the several observers do 

 not remember such great scarcity of birds during the autumn 

 migration. From other observers' remarks it would appear that 

 several of the west coast stations are not suitable for observations 

 being made, from their land-locked situations or other local 

 influences, such as Kyleakin, Sound of Mull, Corran Ferry, and 

 others. 



Many birds are killed at the lanterns of the more isolated 

 lighthouses and are blown into the sea. Thus, in 1877, at 

 Skerryvore, in the month of October, the number of birds killed 

 was six hundred, chiefly the Common and "Mountain Thrush" 

 (Ring Ouzel), but including also Blackbirds, Snipes, Larks, and 

 one Wild Duck. The observer, Mr. W. Crow, was of opinion 

 that about two hundred more were killed and blo'wn into the sea. 

 They came every night from the 1st to the 6th, about 8 p.m., 

 and went away at daylight. '' I would estimate," he says, " the 

 number about the light on each of the above nights to be about 

 a thousand." The direction of the wind was from S.S.E. to S., 

 wdth haze ; and no migration of birj^s was observed during the 

 day. On Dhuheartach lighthouse rock, " two Hawks are seen 

 every morning" while the migration lasts, which come to prey 

 upon the small birds resting on the rock. A considerable fligiit of 

 migrants took place about Oct. 7th, as upon the east coast. 



The direction of the flight of migrants aj^pears to be from 

 east to west at the north coast stations, but from N.W. and 

 N.N.W. to S.W. or S.S.W. at the stations farther south; and 

 this is borne out by previous observations in former years by my 



